From one of our most trusted authorities on health and alternative health care, a comprehensive and reassuring audio about food, diet, and nutrition.

Building on the scientific and philosophical underpinnings of his enormous bestseller Spontaneous Healing and presenting the kind of practical information that informed his 8 Weeks to Optimum Health, Dr. Weil now provides us with a program for improving our well-being by making informed choices about how and what we eat. He explains the safest and most effective ways to lose weight; how diet can affect energy and sleep; how foods can exacerbate or minimize specific physical problems; how much fat to include in our diet; what nutrients are in which foods, and much, much more. He makes clear that an optimal diet will both supply the basic needs of the body and fortify the body's defenses and mechanisms of healing.

Eating Well for Optimum Health stands to change - for the better and the healthier - our most fundamental ideas about eating.

Product Description

From Amazon

Hopefully, years from now, Eating Well for Optimum Health will be looked upon as the book that saved the health of millions of Americans and transformed the way we eat--not as the book we overlooked at our own peril. It clarifies the mishmash of conflicting news, research, hype, and hearsay regarding diet, nutrition, and supplementation, and further establishes the judicious Dr. Weil, the director of the Program in Integrative Medicine at the University of Arizona, as a savior of public well-being. If you've ever wondered what "partially hydrogenated soybean oil" really is, been perplexed by contrary news reports about recommended dosages for supplements, or questioned the safety of using aluminum pots for cooking, Dr. Weil will make it all clear.

Weil (pronounced "while") bravely criticizes many of the major diet books on the market, and backs up his admonitions with science. He warns readers to not fall under "the spell" of the anticarbohydrate Atkins Diet, but also criticizes the eating plan advocated by Dr. Dean Ornish--which has been granted Medicare coverage for cardiac patients--as being too low fat for the majority of people. (The omega-3 fatty acids missing from Ornish's diet are essential for hormone production and the control of inflammation, he says.) It's also fascinating to learn that autism, Parkinson's disease, and Alzheimer's disease may be caused by omega-3 fatty acid deficiencies, while an excess of omega-6 fatty acids--very common in the typical American diet--can exacerbate arthritis symptoms. Weil's explanation of the chemistry of fats will prove difficult for most readers, but few will want to eat fast-food French fries ever again after reading his appalling reasons for avoiding them, which go way beyond their well-documented heart-clogging capabilities.

After a thorough rundown of nutritional basics and a primer of micronutrients such as vitamins, minerals, fiber, and phytochemicals, Weil unveils what he feels is "the best diet in the world," with 85 recipes, such as Salmon Cakes and Oven-Fried Potatoes, that are healthy, tasty, quick to prepare, and complete with nutritional breakdowns. He includes a stirring chapter on safe weight loss (he sympathizes with the overweight and comically recalls his one-week trial of a safflower oil-diet while an undergraduate). Other, equally enlightening sections include tips for eating out and shopping for food (with warnings on various additives and a guide to organics), and a wondrous appendix with dietary recommendations for dozens of health concerns, including allergies, asthma, cancer prevention, mood disorders, and pregnancy. Eating Well is an indispensable consumer reference and one not afraid to lambaste the diet industry and empower the public with information about which the majority of doctors--to the detriment of the public health--are ignorant. --Erica Jorgensen--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly

Now considered one of holistic medicine's most authoritative voices, Weil (Spontaneous Healing; 8 Weeks to Optimum Health) provides a common-sense approach to healthy eating. While much of this information can be found in other volumes, Weil illuminates the often confusing and conflicting ideas circulating about good nutrition, addressing specific health issues and offering nutritional guidance to help heal and prevent major illnesses. Of particular value is his examination of recent fads, such as low-carbohydrate, vegan and "Asian" diets, with an eye toward debunking the myths about them while highlighting their valuable aspects. Readers will appreciate the brief stories of individuals who have made big changes in their eating habits and solved chronic health problems, as well as recipes for foods that Weil feels will satisfy nutritional needs and the taste buds. Although not the first to link the rise of cancer, heart disease and obesity with the now-prevalent consumption of fast food and processed foods that contain a lot of sugar and few, if any, micronutrients, Weil's articulate plea to reflect on the consequences is convincing. Despite Weil's emphasis on a diet of fresh fruits and vegetables, unprocessed foods and much less meat and dairy products than most Americans are used to, readers will notice a profoundly realistic observation of what changes they can readily incorporate into their busy lives. And they will be heartened to learn that they can eat nutritious foods and still get much pleasure from them. (Mar.) Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Most helpful customer reviews

This is an excellent book as many other reviewers have noted but please be aware of the following:1)It is not a "diet" book in the sense of magical ways to lose weight2)It is not a book on "fitness" nutrition for people who want huge muscles and low body fat.3)Health in the sense of the absence of disease, the optimum functioning of the organs of the body and a long-life has much more to do with body chemistry, blood pressure, cholersterol levels, the condition of your coronary arteries, the presence or absence of free-radical damage, etc than it does with the amount of lean muscle mass that sits on your frame or whether or not your body looks good in a bathing suit.I make these points because many people complain the Dr. Weil doesn't look like John Bastow or the author of "Body for Life" so what can he know about "health". Get a clue!! While regular moderate exercize is related to longevity there is NO evidence that "Body for Life" types are healthier the way it really counts just because they have better looking bodies than Dr. Weill. Which do you think is healthier: a lean muscular body combined with high blood pressure, clogged arteries and a colon lined with intestinal polyps? or a body that looks pudgy in a bathing suit but with low BP, low cholesterol, clean arteries and an otherwise clean internal bill of health?This book is about eating well for health and it is excellent. One of things I like most is that there is nothing "flaky" about it. Weill reviews what we know about nutrition from solid scientific research and is always clear to distinguish that from his own opinion about nutritional matters that may not be fully supported by current research.Buy it and live longer.

This is the first time I have read any of Dr. Weil's books and I found this one full of new and useful information that I took to heart.Some good points Dr. Weil made were quite interesting For example he mentions that in the 1950's, scientests thought vegtable oils were healthy and they lowered the risk of a heart attack. This turned out to be false but to this day many foods still contain high amounts of this substance leading to more calories in peoples diets and more weight gain.Another point that Dr. Weil makes is that it is not the toatal amout of fat that we have in our diets but which foods contain more of saturated fats instead.Then he makes the point that the idea a of a balanced diet is in consistant due to the vast amout of complex foods. Because he says the best way to get good advice for a healthy diet is to ask a professional or read books not from most doctors or nureses. The reason why is that people particulary doctors get this thought is because of the poor or lack of nutritional education in America.

For people who are looking for new ideas on how to diet this book is one of the best options for both finding out which are the best and the worst diets in the world. Also for various recepies with less fats and chemecals.

Eating Well For Optimum HealthReview by: Kehaulani MarcielEating well for optimum health is the concern of many Americans in today's society. The book written by author Andrew Weil is an outstanding book for obtaining optimum health. Dr. Weil draws out how exactly our body works and what our body needs to perform at its peak. Throughout the book you will learn how to improve your health, dietary advice for chronic ailments, as well as recipes to help you reach your optimum health. Proteins, fats, micronutrients, and carbohydrates are all necessities of life. These are the three basics of human nutrition, which help us to obtain a healthy lifestyle. Yet, eating these things in large or uneven amounts can be very unhealthy likewise. It is important that we get proteins, fats, and carbohydrates in our diets because our body uses them and breaks them down and produces glucose, maltose, disaccharide, lactose and many other components that the body needs to maintain optimum health. Dr. Weil lists the "Worst" and the "Best" diets that have been studied through many people's eating habits. He continues to pinpoint the benefits as well as the downfalls of each diet. He compares the United States to other countries and explains how and why that particular country is so much healthier. We see that here in America, we are constantly eating fast foods and grabbing a quick snack on the way out. In Asian countries, food selection is much different resulting in healthier life styles. When dining out, Americans often load up on bread and dive into oily and fattening dinner platters which offer a beautiful display. If we were to substitute our gourmet dinners for something a bit healthier, America would not be the top country for obesity.Read more ›

This is a great book. The author shares how the Western medical profession gets virtually no training in nutrition, and what a huge gap in medical knowledge this represents. By reading this book, you will know far more on nutrition than any doctor who has not made a personal effort to educate himself on this topic. The author states that studying this book is like taking a college level class in biochemistry. And, it is true. Because the material is presented in such a fun anecdotal style, you don't even realize you are learning rather dry technical stuff. He covers all the macronutrients (protein, carbohydrate, fats), and micronutrients (vitamins, and minerals) in scientific details. He explains how these interact with each other and our own metabolism to provide the necessary healthy fuel we need.He goes on describing the worst diet in the World. Some of us may be horrified, as it describes a very average American diet that some of us have to eat (otherwise it would not be the average American diet). This includes plenty of very convenient, tasty, processed foods that have their share of saturated fats, partially hydrogenated oils, and few nutritive calories of any kind. In any case, this is a pretty healthy wake up call for some of us. The author indicates what this diet leads to if maintained over a life time. This includes a far greater incidence of cardiovascular diseases and greater risk of numerous cancers.The author also covers what are the various diets that could qualify as the best in the World. There is no great surprise there. Such diets are rich in fresh produce (fruits and vegetables), avoid most processed foods, sugar, excessive salt, and saturated fats. They can run from Asian to Mediterranean style(s) with a wide variety in between. So, there are plenty of healthy and delicious ways to eat.